Henry Rollins is trending in TV, Reiser tonight, Nat Geo, tour dates and more

By April MacIntyre Apr 22, 2011, 2:17 GMT

In August, Henry hits the U.K. festival circuit, with a pair of performances at the Edinburgh Fringe festival (August 18-19), and performances at Reading (August 26) and Leeds (August 27).

Henry Rollins is trending bigtime.

Following two months on the road – marking his latest birthday with the recently wrapped, (50 tour) Rollins is set for a slew of appearances on television and on stage, including a guest spot on the new NBC sitcom The Paul Reiser Show tonight, Thursday (4/21) at 8:30pm and the premiere of Nat Geo WILD’s Snake Underworld on April 29.

Henry performed and served as emcee at an April 19 event in Ann Arbor, MI remembering late Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton – and featuring Iggy & the Stooges – to benefit Ron Asheton Foundation (www.ronashetonfoundation.org).

Tasked with “summarizing Ron’s impact on the Stooges and rock ’n’ roll music in general with respect, enthusiasm, humor and a lot of emotion,” Henry “did a great job” as host of what the Detroit Metro Times called “a show for the history books.”

Rollins hits the stage for charity again on April 28, joining actors Rosemarie DeWitt, Megan Mullally, Josh Radnor, and others for the PEN Center USA’s The Pale King: Monologues From The Unfinished Novel By David Foster Wallace (www.penusa.org) at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills, CA.

On June 21, Rollins will perform a spoken word set as part of a Dinosaur Jr. headlined benefit for Whole Children (http://wholechildren.org/) in Northampton, MA.

That show also marks the beginning of a unique run of tour dates with Dinosaur Jr. in which Rollins interviews the indie rock icons on stage prior to their set – followed by the band performing its seminal 1988 album Bug in its entirety. (Note: The June 21 Whole Children benefit is the only Dinosaur Jr. show at which Henry will perform his own set in addition to interviewing the band on stage)

THEN Rollins is set for Bonnaroo 2011, slated for June 9-12 in Manchester, TN, as part of a comedy stage roster that includes headliner Lewis Black, Cheech Marin, John Waters, and others.

The celebrated music and arts festival’s wide-ranging musical lineup runs the gamut from Eminem to Arcade Fire, Allison Krauss, Gogol Bordello, and countless others. For the complete Bonnaroo 2011 lineup, go to www.bonnaroo.com.

In August, Henry hits the U.K. festival circuit, with a pair of performances at the Edinburgh Fringe festival (August 18-19), and performances at Reading (August 26) and Leeds (August 27).

And later this year, his latest book, Occupants – a collection of photos and essays from his global travels – is due out via Chicago Review Press.

In his second collaboration with National Geographic (following the December 2010 National Geographic Channel special Born To Rage), Henry uncovers a world of snake obsession that goes far beyond his own fascination with the slithering reptiles – including one scene with a man who injects himself with deadly black mamba venom.

Video “The Snake Morph Underground” from Nat Geo WILD’s Snake Underworld (Friday, April 29 at 10PM ET/PT) – Henry Rollins investigates the hidden world of snake breeding, in which collectors breed snakes to create new creatures called “Morphs.”

Video “Shooting Up Snake Venom” from Nat Geo WILD’s Snake Underworld (Friday, April 29 at 10PM ET/PT) – Henry Rollins meets a man who voluntarily injects himself with mamba venom to create naturally-occurring snake venom antibodies.  Tonight's (April 21) Paul Reiser show:

For more on HENRY ROLLINS, go to www.henryrollins.com. HENRY’s tour dates with Dinosaur Jr. are as follows:       

6/21                  Northampton, MA                      Calvin Theatre (Whole Children benefit)

6/22                  Boston, MA                              The Paradise

6/23                  New York, NY                            Terminal 5

6/24                  Philadelphia, PA                        Electric Factory

6/25                  Washington, DC                        9:30 Club

6/26                  Atlanta, GA                               Variety Playhouse